Seals and gaskets have long been used to seal wires, pipes, tubes, and other conduits to prevent leakage between compartments in a device. An airtight seal is especially important in situations where the conduit connects two environments of drastically different pressures or temperatures. A leak, even a small one, could compromise not only the integrity of the conduit, but also the integrity of the entire device. However, problems exist where wires can be easily damaged exiting extreme temperatures and pressurized environments. When multiple wires are involved, they are difficult to organize and dangle in dangerous conditions.
Sealing units such as the one shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,544,169 to Cobb et al. teach a gasket seal for a metallic wire that is sealed by sandwiching the wire between two metallic sheets, and tightening that seal with multiple bolts. The multiple bolt design is resistant to both high pressure and high temperature differentials. The metallic sheets in Cobb; however, cannot seal multiple wires of various diameters simultaneously. Additionally, since the wire in Cobb deforms the metallic sheets by forming indents, if the wire needs to be repaired or changed, the entire assembly needs to be replaced.
Conventional pass-throughs attempt to solve the problem by creating a housing that allows the wires to pass through safely. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,453,551 to Nordquist teaches sealing a wire by wrapping it in an elastic seal that is compressed before the wire is plugged into a hole. Unfortunately, such a seal can easily loosen and break, particularly when a pressure differential exists. U.S. Pat. No. 6,918,617 to Nordquist also tries to address the problem by soldering gaps around the wire; however, this makes the set-up difficult to disassemble and reassemble during routine maintenance.
Thus, there is still a need for an improved pressure and temperature resistant seal that can accommodate a plurality of wires and allows for quick and easy wire maintenance without replacing the entire assembly.
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